International, regional bodies rapped for failing to protect human rights

The Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) has criticised international, continental and regional bodies for what it describes as decades‑long failure to protect human rights in Zimbabwe and other countries, despite repeated warnings and documented abuses dating back to the 1980s.


In a statement, MRP president Mqondisi Moyo accused institutions such as the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) of betraying their mandates by prioritising political interests over the protection of civilians.

Moyo said the bodies were established to prevent conflict, safeguard human rights and facilitate humanitarian assistance, but had instead become “institutions that issue resolutions instead of saving lives, convene summits instead of stopping massacres, and deploy observers where protection forces are required”.

He argued that the UN, in particular, suffers from “paralysis by design”, citing the veto power of the Permanent Five, selective application of human‑rights standards and a peacekeeping model “built for post‑conflict management, not atrocity prevention”.

Moyo said the doctrine of Responsibility to Protect (R2P), adopted after the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, had become largely rhetorical.

“Early warnings were documented and ignored. UNAMIR forces were under‑mandated and under‑resourced. Troop numbers were reduced as killings escalated. The UN chose ‘neutrality’ in the face of systematic extermination,” he said.

He added that similar patterns of selective enforcement and delayed intervention had been seen in Bosnia, Syria, Gaza and Yemen.

Turning to Africa, Moyo said the AU and its predecessor, the OAU, had historically prioritised non‑interference over human protection, allowing perpetrators of abuses to sit unchallenged in their assemblies.

He said the Gukurahundi atrocities in the 1980s represented “one of Southern Africa’s most profound moral failures”, arguing that regional bodies chose silence to preserve political alliances.

“No AU or OAU intervention was attempted. No UN investigation was mandated. SADC and neighbouring states chose silence. This was not neutrality — it was complicity,” he said.

Moyo also criticised SADC, saying it had become “a mutual protection pact for incumbent elites”, with election observer missions that legitimise flawed processes and ignore state‑sponsored violence.

He further accused international and regional bodies of failing to ensure humanitarian access, protect aid corridors or prevent governments from weaponising food, displacement and relief assistance.

“At their core, the UN, AU and SADC are not designed to protect people; they are designed to preserve the international state system, avoid confrontation with powerful actors and maintain diplomatic decorum over moral urgency,” he said.

Moyo argued that Africa’s genocides and mass atrocities were not inevitable, but occurred “in full view” of institutions that failed to act.

He said meaningful reform would require restructuring global and regional bodies to prioritise human life over sovereignty, remove political vetoes and enforce accountability without fear or favour.